You're safe with me
by StorybrookeGirl
Summary: After Cora kills Daniel, Regina is forced into marrying King Leopold. After years of abuse Regina leaves the castle but that same night the King is killed by her mother. Regina's escape leads Snow White to think she's the one who killed him and she will stop at nothing to see her pay for his death. But along her path someone will help and protect Regina. Rated M for abuse scenes
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys! So this is my first attempt at an Evil Charming fanfiction (and I'm soooo excited about it!). Okay, enough with the fangirling now. English is not my mother tongue so I'll apologize in advance for any mistakeI might make.

Now, speaking about the story, this first chapter was necessary to start introducing the story but the majority of it is taken (and I mean literally, word by word) by episode 1x18, except for the fact that Snow plays quite a different role in the story. So any dialogue or scene you might recognise obviously does NOT belong to me but to those geniuses who created OUaT (Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz).

Another important thing is that we won't meet our dear Charming until the end of the second chapter (at least).

Enjoy and please let me know what you think about it :)

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_**Chapter 1**_

"Regina, tell her! She'll get over it, what can she do?" Daniel asked, desperately trying to change her mind.

"Have you not see her magic? The real question is what can't she do?!" She retorted back, her eyes filled with sadness but also fear, which rose in her at the thought of what her mother might do to her beloved if she were to find out about them.

"Who cares about magic? True love is the most powerful magic of all. It can overcome anything." He whispered to her, gently caressing her cheek. He slowly leaned closer to her, her eyes fixed upon his mouth. They were about to kiss when they heard someone screaming for help and the noise of a horse getting closer.

"Shh, someone's here!" Regina whispered, distancing herself from the stable boy. They turned to see a little girl on a skittish horse, who wouldn't let go of its mane for the fear of being unseated.

Without thinking about it twice, Regina jumped on Rocinante and went after the little girl. When the two were side by side, Regina stretched out her arm in order to grab the girl into her arms. The girl didn't get a good grip on Regina and, when she slowed down the pace, she fell on the grass. Regina quickly got off the horse in order to see if she was fine and to get her on her feet, as she said "It's okay dear, you're safe!".

"You saved my life!" the girl whispered while looking directly into her eyes, almost in a state of shock, which had Regina's voice grow with concern as she asked the girl "Are you alright?".

She seemed to get off of her trance a little bit at the time as she looked down, looking for a possible injury but finding out she was quite alright "Yes, but I'll never ride again!"

The sentence had Regina laughing a bit "Nonsense! The only way to overcome fear is to face it, to get back on that horse as soon as possible."

The girl didn't know how to reply, for Regina certainly sounded like she knew what she was talking about, so her response was limited to a "Thank you..." filled with gratitude for the woman standing in front of her.

"...Regina!" she added, suddenly realising they hadn't actually introduced.

"I'm Snow. Snow White."

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**_The next day_**

Regina was looking at herself in the mirror, not really caring about the jacket she was adjusting onto her well-toned body but actually thinking about her stable boy. If she was luckymaybe her other would allow her to spend the whole day out riding, which meant she and Daniel would get to spend more time together.

Just as she turned around she heard her mother saying "No, this won't do.." and with a flick of her hand, Cora replaced her daughter's outfit with a light blue gown and loosened her braidened long hair.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked, frowning as she examined the dress.

"We have a guest, he'll be here any moment." Cora said as she made sure her daughter had been rid of any imperfection.

"I can't, I have a riding lesson with Daniel.." Regina tried to say, but Cora cut her off "Well, that's been cancelled. Now smile, we don't want to dissapoint him."

Regina was still unsure about her mother's behaviour but Cora seemed particularly excited for this sudden visit, which had Regina asking her "disappoint who?"

"The king!" her mother replied with a smile, leaving Regina in a state of shock. "The king?" she gasped in excitement, though she began wondering "why is the king coming?". Cora laughed and gently took her daughter's face in her hands "because you've finally done something right! That little girl you saved was the king's daughter" she told Regina as they walked towards the door, where they were met by the king himself, who was escorted by Regina's father and three royal guards.

"Is that her?" the man asked, stunned by Regina's beauty. "Yes", her father replied before formally introducing the two of them "Regina, honey, this is Snow White's father". At a loss for words, Regina managed to bow to the king but stopped by his kind words "No. It is I who should bow to you! You saved my daughter's life, there is no way to repay that debt. It is an honour to meet you." He said, bowing to the young lady standing just inches away from him.

She was speechless. Having the king in her home was a surprise already but having him bow to her almost felt like a daydream, and in the middle of this dream she couldn't force a sound to come out of her mouth, so she kept staring at the man in front of her.

"Regina, dear, the king is honoured to meet you, say something" Cora whispered to her daughter, who just then realized she hadn't said a word since the king had entered the room. "The honour is mine" she said shyly with a smile.

"You're quite lucky to have a mother who looks out for you. My dear Snow has many things but a mother is not one of them. We lost her years ago..." his voice trailed off, a feeling of sadness taking over him and showing clearly on his face as he continued "since then I have scoured the land looking for a wife. I've yet to find a woman with that interest in my daughter...until now".

And suddenly Regina's world started to crumble, her dreams being shattered in front of her eyes with every movement the king made, as he turned around to take an engagement ring from a cushion the valet was holding and he kneeled in front of her, for she knew there was no escaping her reality now.

"Will you marry me, Regina?" her father shook his head slowly, knowing she was in love with Daniel and thus understanding how unacceptable King Leopold's proposal was for her. On the other hand, her mother couldn't be more thrilled at the idea of her daughter becoming queen and couldn't let Regina refuse his proposal so she gave a slight nudge to her daughter's hand as she said "Yes".

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Regina spent the rest of the day with her mother, who had already started thinking about the arrangements for the wedding and wanted her daughter to try out what seemed to her like a thousand wedding dresses. But what Regina thought about had nothing to do with the wedding list or the shoes that would match her wedding dress best or the flowers that were more appropriate for the bouquet. The only thing on her mind was Daniel, her true love. She wanted to see him, to tell him everything but then again she didn't even know how to explain to him what had happened. How could she tell him she was to marry the king and never see him again? They were planning their life together, she didn't want to marry a man she didn't love. It would certainly break his heart as it did hers.

Regina waited until late that night to go down to the stables, making sure nobody saw her. She opened the stables' doors in a hurry, gasping for the lack of breath due to the running but, nevertheless, she started screaming Daniel's name until he emerged from a box stall asking what was wrong. She ran to his with her arms open and wrapped them across his torso as soon as she felt his body pressed against hers. She didn't want to let go of him but she forced herself to back off a little in order to look into his blue eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks while she whispered "Marry me..".

He was taken aback by her sudden request "Regina, what are you doing? What's happened? Did you tell your mother?" he kept asking questions for she just kept looking at him but looking scared as fresh tears started to well up in her eyes until she managed to finally speak, grabbing his arms firmly "No. Now I can never tell her, she won't understand!" her voice broke as she started sobbing. "That girl I saved was the King's daughter. And now he's proposed to me!".

"What?" it was all Daniel could manage to say, for he still didn't understand what Regina was trying to tell him. She loved him, he knew that, so she must've refused the King's proposal, but then again he couldn't understand why was she standing there with him in the middle of the night, clearly panicking at the thought of the King only proposing to her. Unless...

"My mother accepted!" Regina turned around, sobbing uncontrollably , unable to look into those blue eyes she had grown to love so much that were now filled with sadness and defeat. The stable boy knew he had no chance to be with her now. Her mother wouldn't allow it and now she had even more reasons not to. He would have to accept it in order to step aside and let his beloved live a happy life as queen.

"The only way out is to run..", Regina whispered as she came to the sudden realisation that running away was their only chance of being together she realised it was their only possibility of being together "..for us to leave this place, for us to be married, for us to never come back" she kept saying in a rush as she turned around to face him, walking towards him.

Daniel took her hands in his, trying to calm her down "Regina.. Do you understand what that would mean? Life with a stable boy is a far cry from a life as queen". His words were hearfelt, for he wanted her to have everything she deserved, everything a life as queen could offer, everything that she would be forbidden if she married him.

"Being queen means nothing. Daniel..." she whispered as she cupped his face in her hands, the brown eyes meeting the blue ones "..all I care about is you".

He took her hands in his, placing a soft kiss on her finger before speaking "Then if I am to marry you we must do this properly" they reluctantly let go of each other so Daniel could retrieve an engagement ring he had had with him for weeks and slip it slowly on Regina's ring finger. It certainly wasn't expansive, it wasn't a ring a queen would wear, but it didn't make it less precious to her. Regina was smiling from ear to ear, tears of happiness making her eyes shine a little brighter as Daniel pulled her into a passionate kiss.

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In less than an hour Regina had sneaked into her house to pack a bag with everything they needed and gone back to the stables to meet her fiancée, who had already prepared the horses.

"Are you ready?" he managed to ask before silencing him with a kiss and saying "let's go!"

But as soon as they turned around they heard a voice saying "You could've at least left a note". Regina hadn't noticed her mother had followed her out of the house, but maybe she had simply used magic. As soon as Cora stretched her arms, now releasing a purple smoke, Regina and Daniel were pushed backwards and fell with their backs on the straw that coated the stables' floor. They turned around looking for an escape just in time to see Cora magically closing the hardwood doors both in front and behind them.

Regina was scared to death thinking about what her mother might do to them but she couldn't take her eyes off of her fearful figure either as she started pleading "Mother, I.." but she was immediately cut off by the woman standing in front of her, her face distorted nto a grimace of disgust "Don't. You foolish girl... You sneak out of my house in the dead of the night and think I won't notice? How dare you. I've known about this for months, hoping it would fade away with time, trying to teach you best than to fall for a stable boy." Regina retreating into Daniel's arms with every word her mother spoke "I guess I should've just taken care of the problem at the beginning... Well, I made a mistake and here we are now. But still, you are to marry the King now and I won't let anything or anyone stand in the way of that"

I took all of the courage Regina could gather to respond to Cora "Mother, it's my life! I won't marry a man I don't love because of his status. I want to marry the man I love and have a family with him.."

She was cut off by a humorless laugh "But you won't, dear. Not after all the sacrifices and all the deals I made for you. I won't let you toss it all away for love. Love is weakness, Regina. It feels real now, at the start it always does, but it's an illusion. It fades and then you're left with nothing but a miserable life filled with regrets. I really wish it didn't have to come to this.."

Regina had barely enough time to intertwine her hand with Daniel's before Cora used her magic to push her to the side, making her hit her head against the wooden wall of the box stall. A scream of Daniel calling her name in a desperate voice reached her ears but she was hardly able to move due to the impact of her back against the floor. She was still concious when she saw her mother streching her arm into Daniel's chest before taking his heart out and crushing it to dust. She couldn't manage to get anything out of her mouth but a low whisper as she tried unsuccessfully to reach her fiancée, calling his name. A single tear rolled down Regina's cheek as she drifted into darkness.

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**_One week later_**

It was the day before the wedding. Everything was ready for the ceremony that would be held at the palace, the whole reign had heard about the news and the village had been festively decorated by the town's people with banners and ribbons that had been hung everywhere. Everyone was excited for the royal wedding. Everyone but two people.

Regina spent her days wandering aimlessly through the castle. She could be described as catatonic by the people who saw her. Most of the time she didn't know where she was, she simply walked and when she found a spot with no people she would just there and cry. A patrolling guard would usually find her and escort her back to her chambers.

It was the middle of night. As usual, Regina couldn't sleep, for images of her mother killing her fiancée still haunted her dreams. She slipped out of her bedchamber and started walking. After climbing a flight of stairs she slowed down the pace, for she heard indistinct voices coming from one of the rooms on her left. After taking a few steps forward she found herself standing in front of a door that had been left ajar, revealing a room with pink walls lit by a dim candlelight. Tucked comfortably under the blankets of a canopy bed that had white veils hanging at both sides was Snow White. She wasn't asleep, she was talking to her father, King Leopold, who sat on an chair next to her bed.

"Must you marry her, father?" the little girl asked him with puppy eyes and a pleasing voice. He took her daughter's hand in his before saying "Snow, dear, we already discussed this. I want you to have a mother again, I know how lonely you have been feeling since your mother passed away, and I've been feeling quite lonely too. Besides, I thought you liked Regina" Snow looked away for a moment, "She's... fine. But I don't want her to replace my mother! Nobody can and certainly not a stranger" she said as conflicting emotions built up inside of her: sadness caused by the memory of her mother's death and anger for his father's choice to marry again so shortly after the queen's demise.

The light coming from the room illuminated Regina's tear-stained face. She was hurt by the little girl's words, not because she cared about what she thought of her, for if she didn't have to rescue her none of it would've happened and Daniel would still be alive, but she cried because she felt unwanted by everyone. She was considered a disappointment by her mother, she had lost her one true love and was being forced into a loveless marriage with a man she barely knew and whose daughter rejected her because she saw her as a woman who was trying to replace the mother she had lost.

Just as she turned King Leopold caught sight of her from the corner of his eye. He bid his daughter goodnight and stepped outside her room making sure the door was closed this time. He descended the staircase looking for Regina but didn't find her, for she had locked herself in her bedroom, where she collapsed crying with her back against the door, her head resting on her bent knees and holding in her hand the engagement ring Daniel had given to her, the only thing she had left of him.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N:_**soooo here we are with chapter 2! this chapter was quite hard for me to write (you'll see why) but I really hope you like it :) basically the real story begins here. Still no Charming, though, but I'm pretty sure we'll see him in the next chapter, so stick with me and pleeease review after reading! :) I'm so curious to know what you guys think about this chapter and reviews are what keeps me writing :) xoxo

_**Disclaimer**_: Again, I own nothing (neither the characters nor OUaT), just the plot

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**_Chapter 2_**

"I do.." Regina whispered as a tear ran silently down her cheeks, a blank stare on her face as she desperately tried to avoid reality, wishing she could run away, wishing Daniel was still by her side, that _he_ was the one who cupped her face gently pulling her into a slow kiss as the priest said "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride".

But even if her eyes were closed tight, Regina knew the one she was kissing was not her stable boy, for his kisses were passionate and tender at the same time, each and everyone shared as if it was going to be their last. On the contrary, the man whose hands were resting on her waist put no effort into trying to make up for the of love that kiss clearly lacked.

Soon everyone started dancing and chatting, most of them with a drink in their hands. Regina now sat at the table, claiming to be tired. Truth is, if she stood on her feeta moment longer her knees would probably give out and she would simply start sobbing like she had done for the past week, partly because of the thought of Daniel not being with her and partly because of the life that awaited her. A life without love, trapped by the walls of that castle, for she now felt like a prisoner, rejected by everyone, treated like a pet whose only function was to look out for the King's dauhter. A task that would, anyway, belong to her nurse, mening she was useless.

Regina lifted her eyes, looking for her husband in the crowd and finding him dancing with his daughter. In his eyes she could see all the love he felt for his beautiful Snow White, alongside the love for the wife she had lost and whom his daughter reminded him constantly of. In that exact moment she realised that no matter how much effort she put into pleasing and loving her husband he would never love her the way he loved his first wife. She was trapped by the memory of a life they used to share.

She made her way out of the ballroom unnoticed by the King or the guests. She ran to her quarters, wanting this day to be over as soon as possible. She slammed the wooden door open just to find her belongings had already been moved to the King's bedchamber, which they were now to share. Luckily his bedroom was not far from hers, because she started feeling dizzy, her breath shortened by the lack of air in her lungs caused by her dress' corset. She started walking, speeding up her pace as she was about to reach the door for her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she feared it was going to jump right out of her rib cage any moment now, wondering what was happening to her. As soon as she closed the door behind her back she started working with her fingers on the ribbons onthe front of her dress in an attempt of getting rid of the corset but her hands were tingling and trembling, which made her panick all the more as she gasped for air, hot tears fallingon her hands as she examined them to try and figure out what was happening to her. Without thinking about it twice she reached for the paper knife that was placed on a desk beside her with her unsteady hands and started ripping open the front of her wedding dress. As the knife slashed the last ribbon she tossed it onto the floor and tore the corset up, inhaling as much air as she could. Nevertheless, the feeling didn't vanish. Her knees started to give out and she had to cling to one of canopy bed's elaborately carved, wooden columns in order to steady herself a little before collapsing onto it.

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Regina awoke in the middle of the night due to some noises she heard outside the door. As it opened she decided to pretend to be asleep, for it was their wedding night after all but she was not the leastinclined to sleep with the man at all. Her eyes were still shut when she felt the bed move slightly under the pressure of his body as he sat onto it. What she wasn't expecting at all was to feel one of his hands awkardly caressing her cheek, lingering a moment when his fingers reached the edge of her pink, soft lips. His hand slowly made its way down, along her curled up figure. She felt his hands as they traced invisible patterns on her delicate skin and she could feel goosebumps forming on her arms, the only parts of her body that were completely exposed, for she still wore her torn, sleeveless wedding dress. Regina froze at the touch, her body now completely stiff. She was absentmindedly holding her breath and the only thing she could do to cover it up was not to shiver too much when she was forced to inhale by lack of air in her lungs. Her only wish was that he would stop his hands from wandering on her body, so feeling him getting up from the bed caused a momentary sense of relief to rise in her.

Unfortunately for Regina, the feeling didn't last long. King Leopold lay his crown on the nightstand and silently removed his upper clothes before lying down next to Regina. The room was dark, for there was no candlelight to illuminate it. The only source of light was the moon, whose rays penetrated through the window glass, hitting the bed softly and conjuring a gloomy atmosphere that had Regina shivering a little. Suddenly, she felt his hands working to rid her of the corset in order to pull her dress off so she opened her eyes a little and turned to face him, resting her weight on her elbows. Maybe if she talked to him, explaining she didn't feel quite ready for it, he would leave her alone. After all, throughout the whole kingdom he was believed to be a kind man. Maybe he would allow her to take her time.

"Your majesty.." she whispered in a trembling voice, as she slowly tried to put as much distance as she could between the two of them, at least as much as the bed allowed "I-I know that it's our w-wedding night but.. I'm not really.."

She was silenced by a rough kiss that she could not escape from, for the man's hands were placed firmly on the back of her neck, making it impossible for her to draw back. Regina noticed his breath smelled like alcohol. Could it be possible that he was drunk? She pressed her hands against his chest and, using the strenght she could gather, pushed him back.

She tried to get off the bed but he quickly caught Regina's dress with one of his hands and forcefully shoved her onto it once again, making her land on her back. He promptly straddled her lap, so she couldn't try to get away from him. The already half-torn corset was tossed to the ground and King Leopold started placing hot, hungry kisses on her soft skin, starting on her neck and moving down to her breasts, biting her playfully from time to time.

As Regina fought him with her hands and kicking as hard as she could to make him stop, Leopold caught her wrists and pinned them down to the bed. "Stop! Please, stop! You're hurting me.." she begged as tears started running down her eyes, glistening under the pale moonlight and blurring Regina's vision.

She had just turned her head to the sight, trying at least to avoid his ravenous eyes when, all of a sudden, he stopped. He didn't let go of her but at least he wasn't hurting her as much as before. His grip on her hands didn't loosen a lot but the momentary lack of pressure on her wrists gave Regina a feeling of relief.

He bent further down, his face just inches away from hers. He didn't look mean or angry, just sad, as if he was reminded of an unpleasant fact.

"You know, I've been feeling so lonely after my dear wife passed away... And I'm just a man after all. I have needs." He said in a voice that was completely different from his normal one. He was clearly drunk, which is why Regina doubted he was even aware of what he was saying or doing, not that his actions were so easily justifiable "But after all, Regina, you're not asked much as a queen. And I can give you anything you desire.. As long as you give me what _I_ want first.." he whispered with an arrogant grin as he lowering himself a little bit more so his mouth was almost touching hers.

Her teary eyes held his glance as she spat out the words without thinking about it twice "But I want nothing from you! Please let me go!" she pleaded, unwilling to submit without a fight,and started kicking her legs again.

"Sorry, love, but that's not going to happen. I'm your husband now and I have rights. You're mine!" King Leopold whispered provocatively before crushing his lips against her and strengthening the grip on her wrists as he felt her writhing behind him, trying to keep her still. He managed to part her lips and slipped his tongue inside her mouth quite harshly. Regina felt powerless, violated by a man she had once thought to be the kindest of all. In a sharp movement, Regina bit his lower lip hard enough to draw a little bit of blood from it. He straightened up and lifted his right hand to his lips just to see the blood on hisfingertips a few moments later.

"You bitch!" he yelled in a fit of rage before hitting her head hard with the back of his hand. Regina had no time to react, darkness engulfed her and she was left unconscious on the bed.

Regina woke up minutes later at the feeling of her hands being tied to two of the bed's wooden posts. As soon as she realised what was going on she started struggling against the ropes to free herself. King Leopold had just finished tying her; Regina observed him in fear as he slowly placed himself in front of her and started pulling her dress off and her panties. She felt exposed, deprived of her dignity as the man's eyes wandered over every inch of her body taking in the sight of her naked, fragile figure.

"No, please, don't! Stop! Please, stop, I beg you!" she started screaming as his hands wandered up to her thighs so he could spread her legs and place himself in between them. He let his hands slide higher as to cup her rounded breasts, taking one of her nipples in his moute and sucking on it greedily. The man lowered himself once again, approaching the lower part of her body leaving on her stomach a trail of kisses that had her shivering uncontrollably. She started crying as the man unzipped his leather pants and she turned her head to her right to let some tears fall onto the soft pillow. She found no comfort into avoiding his gaze, though, for she felt his entire weight pressed against her body.

Regina shut her eyes as tight as she could when King Leopold forced his way into her, quivering at the sudden feeling of having him inside of her. Knowing there was no way she could escape she just lay there, sobbing silently as she felt his hot breath on her neck, hoping it would end soon.

An hour later, he untied her wrists, finally freeing her. As soon as he did, Regina picked up a silk nightgown that had been left on top of the dresser and ran to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and locking it. She put on the nightgown the ran to the wash basin that stood below a large, gold-framed mirror. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, lifting her trembling hand to her hand as to examine the bruise on her forehead. She felt sick in the pit of her stomach and bent over the sink as she threw up, feeling the disgust for the older man rising with every passing minute. Regina wiped her mouth before curling up against the wall. She started rocking her body back and forth, her eyes shut as she wished she was somewhere else. She imagined Daniel, holding her tight and kissing her passionately. Contrarily to the King's kisses, though, the ones she shared with her stable boy held no hunger and absolutely no rage. They were delicate, loving, understanding and, as the two kissed, Regina would lean completely into Daniel's arms, for in them she knew she would always be safe.

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_**A/N**_: I know, this was quite harsh but it was necessary for the story. Now please review to let me know what you guys think of the story so far! :)


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:**_Hey guys! sorry it took longer to upload this chapter buuuut... Charming is finally here ;) thanks to all of you for following this story, it means a lot to me! please review to let me know what you think about the story so far!

Enjoy! :)

**_Disclaimer:_**I don't own Once Upon a Time or its characters, just this story.

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**_Chapter 3_**

The years went by, one agonizing day of seclusion after the other, as sleepless nights followed one another, the midnight air with screams most of the times. 8 years had passed. 8 years of loneliness that Regina spent confined among the castle walls, with no friends to talk to, no one whom she could share her pain with. 8 years during which her body was constantly covered in bruises, years of physical and emotional traumas that she doubted she would ever be able to overcome.

After a particularly violent night, Regina made up her mind. She was going to flee the castle.

Snow was old enough to rule the kingdom now, if anything happened to her father. It wasn't as if anyone would care anyway. Young Snow had never accepted her as part of the family and King Leopold only saw her as a toy. He could find another woman in the blink of an eye if he wanted to. The only times she appeared in public she would be forced to put a smile on her face, afraid of what the consequences would be if she didn't. She knew King Leopold wanted to maintain his image of a kind and generous man. That was, after all, the only reason why he kept her at his side, to be his doll, to show what a loving man he was, though nobody knew what went on behind the palace walls.

Furthermore, the whole kingdom didn't acknowledge her existence entirely. They knew they had a Queen, of course, and they knew her name, but that was it. They had no particular interest in her at all.

The only one who would surely notice her absence was her mother, Cora. She kept visiting her, instructing her on how a proper Queen should act, how she should behave, what she had to do and what not to. And when Regina showed her "ingratitude", as Cora called her daughter's whining about her life, she would be punished for it.

Regina's body literally couldn't take any of that anymore. It was true, her mother was powerful and she had magic but, to Regina's advantage, she only paid visit to her at the castle once a week, meaning she could get quite far before she noticed she was even missing.

She could only hurt her if she found her and, after all, what did she have to lose?

Regina made sure King Leopold was sound asleep before slipping out of bed and starting to pack a back with some clothes. She put on some shabby clothes, a black hooded cloak, a beige blouse she hadn't used in years but still fitted her, cream-coloured pants and her brown riding boots, so she could cross the land without being recognized as the Queen. There was no way she could sneak down to the kitchens to take some food without being noticed, so would have to find some way to get food outside the castle. The only problem was she could take no gold with her, for it was locked in the dungeons, guarded by a dozen sentries. This didn't make her less determined to escape. She opened the door slowly, only wide enough for her to pass through it, being extremely careful not to make the slightest sound. Once she saw there were no guards in the hallway, she stepped through the threshold and cautiously closed the door again before closing her eyes for a moment and heaving a sigh of relief. Having explored the whole castle, constantly looking for hiding places during the years, Regina had no problem at all finding some shortcuts to reach the stables quickly and, above all, unnoticed. Something must have given her away, though, for as soon as she had saddled the horse and taken him right outside the stables she heard some of the guards yelling while she heard others marching in the courtyard that led to the dungeons and the stables. The sound of the metal armours that kept on beating on the guards' bodies made Regina's heart race faster as her eyes widened in fear. She had nothing more to lose, she climbed on the horse and, with a kick of her boot at the horse's side, she started riding through the midnight chilly air.

"THERE! THERE'S SOMEONE BY THE STABLES!" a guard yelled by the watchtower. She wasn't even a mile away from the castle when she heard the scream followed by the sound of horseshoes hitting the stones of the yard. She sprinted forward, headed to the forest where maybe they would lose her tracks. They were quite behind her but still seemed to keep up with her pace. When Regina reached the nearest village, though, she found herself in the middle of a heavy downpour. Luckily for her, in the thick rain the guards had lost her tracks, giving her enough time to decide on her next move. She decided to leave the horse by a farm that was less than half a mile away from where the village began. She would have to move by foot from that moment on. She found the perfect place where she could wait until the guards passed. It was a narrow alley between a bakery and a craftsman's shop. It was a good shelter from the rain because the roofs of the building allowed basically no water to fall there, plus there was no light, which meant that even if the guards passed by they wouldn't see her. So she sat there in the dark, waiting to the day to come, so she could move on and get as far as she could from her own land.

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**_Meanwhile, at the castle_**

King Leopold awoke in the dead of the night. He thought he had heard a noise, like a door being shut close. He turned on his right side only to find the bed empty, which wasn't so unusual after all. He thought probably Regina couldn't sleep and went wandering about the castle as she had done so many times before. When he realised he was quite thirsty he got up, put on a nightgown and headed towards the kitchens. He ordered the first servant he saw to get him something to drink while he saw at a large wooden table. The maid turned her back to him in order to fix him a drink. He was still quite sleepy and didn't notice it took the woman longer than usual to get him the cocktail, nor that she had poured a small vial of a translucent liquid into it. He emptied the glass quickly but, as soon as the last drop of the liquid went down his throat, he knew something was wrong. His legs were tingling and found the feeling was spreading rapidly through his body. He lost the grip on the glass, which fell to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. He tried to talk but found he couldn't for he felt was as if he was suffocating. King Leopold's eyes widened in fear and horror as the woman standing in front of him was engulfed by a purple smoke which she emerged from with her real appearance and a grin on her lips.

"Didn't see that coming, did you, your majesty?" he heard Cora's voice whispering to him. They could both hear guards walking towards the room, probably because of the noise they had heard. She stepped closer to the man, who had tried to get away from her but only ended up falling from the chair and lying almost motionless on the floor. "I really wish it didn't have to come to this but it was the only way my daughter would finally rule the kingdom. It was the only way for all of us to get the life we deserved" his eyes were staring deeply into hers. He was completely unable to move now, utterly defenseless but it didn't matter at this point, for he knew he was dying. She bent down so King Leopold could hear her whisper "Yes, I killed your wife, Queen Eva, and if young Snow White were to be of any trouble to us I would have no problem at all killing her as well." the words slipped out of her mouth as if they were poisonous themselves. The King's vision started to get blurry, though his eyes were still open wide. The last thing he saw was that purple smoke again before Cora disappeared and his world went dark.

Two guards ran into the room to find the king lying helpless on her floor. One of the men kneeled beside the king and put two fingers on the King's neck to feel if there was any pulse before turning to the other man before saying "He's dead..". The guard who was still standing on the threshold looked horrified at the sight in from of him and, stumbling as he turned towards the hallway, he ran off to the watchtower, warning every other guard he ran into. As soon as one of his comrades yell that there was a hooded figure riding towards the woods he realised the princess hadn't been informed yet. He ran to her bedchamber to find her looking outside the open window, staring at the sentries who were now headed to the forest as well.

"Guard, what's all the commotion about?" Snow asked the man as she turned around to face him. The man tried to recompose himself as best as he could before announcing the tragic piece of news to the young princess "Your majesty, the King is dead" he said as his voice trailed off a little and his eyes met the ground.

Snow didn't want to believe him. She rushed to her father and Regina's bedchamber only to find it completely empty, the door still wide open and the bed unmade. She wasn't prepared for what awaited her when she reached the kitchens. Dozens of servants and guards surrounded her father, whose eyes had been closed by Johanna, Snow's personal maid. When the older woman saw her she welcomed her into an embrace as she tried to soothe her while the girl started sobbingin her arms. The princess looked around, noticing Regina wasn't present "Johanna, where is my stepmother? I assumed she would be here.." Johanna looked around one last time to make sure Regina wasn't there before replying "I'm sorry, Snow, we searched the castle but no one found her... She's missing".

It took the princess no time at all to connect the dots as she looked at her father's body "It was Regina..."

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**_The next morning_**

Regina was tired. It was dawn but she had forced herself to stay awake the whole night. The rain hadn't stopped but the guards had passed through the village a couple of times. She figured by that time they might be either back at the palace or past the village anyway. She didn't really have a choice but to run away now. She stepped outside her shelter after making sure there was nobody around. She found herself at the border between the village and the woods when she heard the guards' voices. She sprinted towards the forest before they could catch her. Regina was running fast to put as much distance as she could between them. It wasn't quite enough, though, for they were riding while she was counting solely on her feet. Luckily she found a hollow trunk where she hid quickly before they could see her, thanks to the rain that now didn't allow them to see as clearly as before. They rode past her going left and, as soon as they were gone, Regina stepped out of the trunk, running to the opposite direction. After a couple hundred metres she turned to see if she was being followed but, by doing so, she didn't notice a tree's thick root above the ground and tripped over it, falling to the ground. Her right leg was hurting badly but she couldn't stop. She tried to stand leaning against a tree but as soon as she tried to take a step forward she tumbled again on the ground. Feeling helpless and desperate she turned on one side and just lay there as tears were streaming down her face. Before losing her senses she saw a man walking towards her but couldn't make out much about his figure before she lost conciousness.

The man wore humble clothes. His eyes were as blue as the sea and they stood out against his pale skin and dirty blond hair. He looked with a worried expression at the woman but couldn't stop the thoughts from forming in his mind. She was so beautiful, even though her face was bruised and scarred. Long, dark hair, a fair complexion and features that bore the marks of violence and hopelessness. He didn't need to think about what to do twice. He scooped the woman up into his arms before he started walking towards his house.


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N_**: Hey guys, thank you for your follows and reviews, they mean a lot to me! :) I'm sorry this chapter isn't as long as the others but I kinda felt like it was perfect like this, so please review and let me know what you think about it :)

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing but this plot.

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Regina woke up finding herself in a dark room lit only by a flickering candle standing on a bedside table at arm's reach. She was lying on a double bed, covered by a warm, wool blanket. For a moment she thought she had been captured and remembered the last thing she had seen was a man walking towards her but she then dismissed the thought. The room wasn't like the ones in the castle's dungeons nor like any other she had seen at the palace, so she clearly hadn't been brought back and that's what mattered the most to her. She tried to put herself into a sitting position but found herself unable to, due to the injure to her ankle which, she noticed, had been bandaged with care. The movement caused her to wince a little because of the pain she felt, which also had her moaning a bit.

Regina heard some knocks on the door, which had her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. The knob was turned from the outside and the door opened slowly, revealing a man standing behind it. He was still standing on the doorway, so Regina couldn't take a proper look at him while the man could see her candle-lit features perfectly. She looked scared and hurt but, still, incredibly beautiful.

"Hey there, sleepyhead! How are you feeling?" the man's calm and sweet voice asked in a whisper as her stepped into the light and closer to the bed.

"I.. I'm fine, thank you.." her voice trailed off as to ask him what his name was. "David" he replied as he took a chair and sat next to the bed. Her heart started fluttering and she would've wondered why if she had had the time but, first, she had to think about a name. She couldn't tell him her real name, for he would probably recognize her, so she spat out the first name that came to her mind "I'm.. Lana".

As he smiled, clearly relieved that she was feeling better, Regina couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. His hand was a little bushy and he wore old, ragged clothes but she was captured by his lovely face. His features were delicate and his smile seemed calm and reassuring to Regina, whose dark brown eyes wondered to his full lips before meeting his blue ones as she felt herself blushing a little.

"So.. How long was I asleep?" she asked him as she turned around to look for a window only to see it was completely dark outside. "Something like 20 hours. Guess you were quite tired, huh?" he whispered trying to sound funny but his tone held no amusement. On the contrary, he sounded concerned, for he could see the woman was clearly hurt and exhausted "I came in to check on you once or twice because you were screaming in your sleep and when I came in you were shivering too. I thought you might've been cold, that's why I covered you with an extra blanket".

She felt sort of embarassed because of that and her left hand instinctively found her right forearm, which still held bruises all over it. "Thank you for taking care of my ankle" she said quietly, not quite ready to make eye contact again "How long do you think it'll take to heal completely?" she knew she had to keep going to put as much distance as she could between her and King Leopold but she also knew in her condition she wouldn't go far. "Probably a couple of weeks, give or take a few days" he saw her starting to panick a little at the thought, so he reached out to rest his left hand on hers as his right hand found her cheek almost instantly. His touch was soft, almost protective and when she felt his hot hand resting against her skin she couldn't help but lift her glance to stare deeply into his eyes as a tear ran down her cheek.

"How about I get you something to eat? I bet you must be starving. Then, if you feel like it, we could talk a little" He said as his thumb wandered gently over a bruise on her cheekbone. Regina nodded slowly and looked at the man as he left the room, missing the contact already.

David came back a few minutes later holding a tray with some milk, a couple of apples that he had already cut for her and some slices of bread. He helped her into a sitting position and patiently waited for her to finish then placed the tray on the bedside table before turning to look at her. "So.. Wanna talk about what happened to you?" he whispered in the kindest voice imaginable "When I found you in the woods you looked quite messed up.. Still do actually" he tried to joke about it, which had made her smile a little. "I'm serious, Lana, I'm concerned about you.. I can tell you didn't get those bruises yourself" she looked away, not wanting him to see the tears that were pooling in her eyes. She didn't know if she could trust this man yet but something in the middle of his sentence actually caught her attention "Why? Why are you concerned about me? We don't even know each other.." she said, trying to be defensive with the stranger, but what her eyes unwillingly revealed was that she had been lonely for such a long time that she wouldn't understand why anyone would care about her. "Because I found you and I feel responsible for you right now..." Regina couldn't quite disagree with the statement. She was confined to bed and couldn't go anywhere, which meant she depended on him right now. "Were you running away from the one who did this to you?" he said pointing at the bruises on her face only to receive a barely perceptible nod in response as a tear fell silently on her cheek "Feel like telling me what happened?". It took her some time, both because the memories sent shivers running down her spine and she had to find a way not to tell him she had been beaten and abused by the King himself.

"It was my husband.." she whispered quietly, still avoiding eye contact "to tell the truth, it was an arranged marriage that my mother forced me into.. I wanted to marry the man I loved but according to her 'love is weakness'.." she quoted while tears started streaming down her face as the memory of Cora crushing Daniel's heart to dust invaded her mind once more. David frowned a little, feeling sorry for the woman in front of him, and reached out to hold her hands in his "I'm so sorry about that, Lana.. I can't even image what it must feel like to marry someone you don't love. I believe True Love to be the most powerful magic of all and all I ask for is to marry the woman I love.. When I find her of course" he said with a warm smile that made Regina blush a little "But why did he do this to you? I mean how could he hurt such a beautiful woman.." he stopped talking when he realised he was probably making her uncomfortable and slowly let go of the woman's hands. Regina gave him a sad smile to let him know the compliment was accepted "It's not like he cared much about me. He had been married before and only wanted someone to look after his daughter.. And someone to share the night with.." the room was silent for a couple of minutes as Regina's mind skipped through all the painful memories but David didn't say anything, for he knew she would talk about it if she wanted to. She had to admit it was nice to finally have someone really listening to her for once and get that weight off her chest "I tried to stop him many times but then it would be worse" she said with a blank stare as she absent-mindedly reached for her bruised arm with her hand. David was almost speechless "..is he responsible for that scar as well? The one on your upper lip.." the man asked quietly, afraid he would sound far too intrusive. "Yes.." Regina whispered as she closed her eyes and lifted her hand so her index and middle finger brushed her scar softly "This happened quite some time ago actually.. It was our first anniversary.. I tried to put up a fight with him but only ended up getting slammed face against the wall.. There was a mirror hanging there and I hit it.. It shattered instantly at the contact causing the cut on my upper lip and when I fell I also cut my arm.." She lifted the sleeve on her right arm slowly to reveal the long scar on her forearm, which was now swollen because of the bruises.

David was shocked. He could only imagine what the woman had gone through and to see her now in front of him, still fighting for her life, only made him respect her more "You mentioned another man, the only you're in love with. Didn't he try to defend you somehow?". Regina let out a barely audible sigh as she touched the engagement ring Daniel had given her before speaking "He probably would've but.. My mother killed him when she discovered we wanted to run away together and get married without her consent..". David left his mouth drop open a little as he heard the painful story while Regina started sobbing quietly as reality hit her. She had no one. The only man she had ever loved had been ripped from her and she was on the run to escape an abusive marriage. She didn't know what to do. She would get caught, sooner or later, and then what awaited her? A life as prisoner? Or worse, a death sentence? She was not strong enough to deal with her emotions at the moment and let them take over as she started sobbing uncontrollably. David didn't think about it twice before sitting on the bed right next to the woman and pulling her close to him so her head rested on his chest. She clinged to him, not wanting to let go, so he put his left arm around her waist to pull her closer as his right hand found her cheek and wiped some of the tears with his thumb. It was too painful to hear the woman in his arms crying her heart out. David rested his head against hers and started rocking her slowly, trying to soothe her, as he whispered "It's okay, Lana, I'll take care of you. You're safe with me.."

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_**A/N**_: I guess all of this fluff was necessary after all the angst in the previous chapters, don't you think? :)

please review to let me know if you like the story so far ;) xoxo


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N:_**hey guys, sorry if it took so long for me to upload this chapter but I've really been crazy busy. I hope it won't take as long to upload the next chapter. enjoy and pleeease review :)

**_Disclaimer:_**I don't own Once Upon a Time or its characters, just this story.

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After a couple of hours Regina fell asleep in David's arms. He didn't feel like letting go but, on second thought, it might be awkward for her to wake up with his arms still wrapped around her. He silently sneaked out of the room and into the kitchen where he found his mother cleaning the dishes. She turned around to look at him

"How is she?" Ruth asked her son, showing her concern for the woman he had rescued "I.. _accidentally _heard about her tragic story.. Couldn't put myself to sleep after that, thinking about what that poor girl must've gone through"

David gave his mother a playful smirk as he spoke keeping his voice low as not to wake the woman who was asleep in the next room "You were eavesdropping?" He asked trying hard to hold back a laugh "Well, you could've come in and introduced yourself at least.. I guess a good motherly figure wouldn't hurt anyway, given everything her own mother put her through.."

"Don't worry, I'll see to that" Ruth said reassuringly as she dried her hands and placed the cloth on the wooden table "Come on now, go get some sleep, I'll be here if she needs anything". As a matter of fact, he was really tired, having stayed up the whole day and night to take care of Regina. He didn't want to admit it but he could barely keep his eyes open, so he bade his mother goodnight and entered the bedroom next to Regina's.

When David woke up in the middle of the morning rays of sunshine delicately hit his face. He put some random clothes on, still not completely awake, and headed towards the bathroom to wash his face. After he did that he opened the bedroom window to see that it was quite a beautiful day. There were no clouds in the sky, it was warm outside and he could hear the birds humming, which had him smiling a little.

He exited his bedroom and knocked softly on Regina's door before opening it slightly.

The vision he had in front of him only made his smile widen. The woman sat on the bed with her legs still covered by the soft blankets, leaning her back against the headboard with her head turned as she looked outside the window with a sad expression. He figured she hadn't heard the knocks on the door so he cleared his throat before entering the room.

Her features were perfectly lit by the sun and as she turned her head to face David he noticed the purple-coloured bruise on her left cheekbone still showed. David knew it probably hurt her badly, though he could tell she wanted to look as strong as she could. There was not much he could do to ease her pain in medical terms, so he thought maybe he could at least try and distract her from thinking about it.

"Slept well?" he asked. "Yes.. Thank you" she replied trying to avoid looking into his eyes as she felt herself blushing, remembering she had fallen asleep in his arms.

"You know what? It's a beautiful day outside and I would hate for you to miss it" he said cheerfully as he approached her slowly. She was taken aback by his idea since she was confined to bed rest due to her injury "But.. I can't move, I can hardly make it to the bathroom, there's no way I could walk outside.." but David cut her off while he removed the blankets and scooped her up "No one said you had to walk". Regina put her arms around his neck instictively and found her face just inches away from his. For a moment she thought about arguing with the man so he would put her back down but as she looked into his deep blue eyes she found herself unable to utter a single word. His eyes gave her a sense of safety, like nothing bad could happen to her while she was with him, a feeling emphasized by the strong arms that supported her, one of which was placed delicately but at the same time reassuringly around her waist. After an awkward moment of silence David turned his head to look at the door, not trusting himself with the woman's lips so close to his "Shall we?" he asked her with a smile. He only received a barely perceptible nod from Regina, who didn't quite realize she was still staring at him, which had him laughing a little bit.

When they stepped outside of the house the light was almost blinding for Regina, who had spent several days in the dark, so it took a while for her to adjust to it. When she did, she couldn't help the smile forming on her face as she turned her head slowly in every direction to take a look at the landscape.

The house was in the middle of a field next to the woods and she couldn't see the castle, which meant she had at least gotten quite far from it. The vision took her back to her teenage years, riding off in the green fields with Daniel, the only place where she could truly be herself. Seeing a wooden bench near the white fence, Regina thought they were simply going to sit there, enjoying this truly beautiful day in the sun, but she realised he had something else in mind when he walked past the bench and towards the wood. She turned to face him, though being so close to him still made her blush a little, and asked "Where are we going?". David smiled sweetly as he looked at her before replying "It's a surprise.. But don't worry, it's not that far away". Although she was quite reluctant to admit it, she didn't mind at all staying in his arms a little longer, the feeling of security his arms conveyed was the most relaxing thing she could ask for right now. Regina was so tired she didn't really notice she was falling asleep in his arms again, her head gently resting against the crook of his neck, taking in the sweet smell that reminded her of white musk. She only realised she had fallen asleep when he came to a stop and shook her gently to awaken her. She opened her eyes slowly, smiling a little as he saw his eyes staring deeply into hers. With his head, David motioned for her to look in front of them "Here we are.. This is kind of my favorite place in the whole world" he whispered with a smile as she looked around. She was so caught up by his eyes that she hadn't even heard there was a noise of water running until he made her turn her head. They were standing in the middle of the woods, in front of a waterfall and a small lake that a narrow stream cut in half. The grass was green, tall and soft, so David laid Regina on it, with her back leaning comfortably against a tree, before sitting down next to her

"You're the first one that I brought here.. this is sort of my 'hiding place'. I know it's isolated and quite calm but I find it sort of relaxing.." she cut him off with a quiet whisper "It's perfect.. It's wonderful actually". After spending several years hidden behind the palace walls, Regina had almost forgotten how much she loved spending time in the open air. Every little thing seemed to amaze her, the birds chirping happily as they flew from tree to tree, the sound of the waterfall, the cool air softly hitting her skin and giving her goosebumps, for she was wearing a thin, white shirt. David noticed she was probably feeling cold so he stood up while he told her "Move a little forward". Regina hadn't even noticed she had stood up because a squirrel that was climbinng a tree had caught her attention, so she turned to face David and asked him "What?". The man laughed a little, but not in a mocking way, before repeating "Move a little forward". Regina didn't ask why but she trusted the man so she did as she was told. David sat down between Regina and the tree with his legs open so she could stay in between them. He took off his jacket and placed it on her shoulders before pulling her towards him a little, so that her body was leaning completely against his. His hands kept stroking her arms gently to keep her warm until they were stopped by hers. She took his hands in hers in order to make them join just above her waist and then snuggled further into him. She closed her eyes for a minute that felt like forever, enjoying the tranquility of that moment, wishing her life had been like that from the start, then thinking maybe it wasn't too late to turn things around. David smiled as he rested his head against the tree. He was starting to think maybe it wasn't just a coincidence, finding her in the woods, maybe it was destiny. He realised he was falling hard for this woman. After all that she had suffered he just wanted her to be happy. He didn't have much to offer but if this was destiny maybe things were meant to be like that. Maybe the woman valued love above everything else like he did.

David felt the woman relax completely in his embrace and allowed them both to enjoy the moment a little bit longer before breaking the silence "So can I know a little bit more about you?". At his question she suddenly shivered, thinking maybe he would ask question about her past, her mind racing to make up answers for questions he hadn't even asked her yet, fear suddenly taking over her. Still, she managed to nod her head, trying to sound as calm as possible as she whispered "like what?". He hummed a little before saying "like what's your favorite colour, for example". Regina let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding and smiled a little "it's blue.. I always found it quite calming and relaxing" she turned her head slightly to look at him but when the brown eyes met his blue ones her heart skipped a beat and she could feel herself blushing, so she turned her head once more, hoping he wouldn't comment on the moment. He didn't, so she asked shyly "what's yours?" he took a moment to reply "I've always liked green. After all it's the colour of hope.." She was hesitant to go deeper into the subject but she did "And what is it that you hope for? If I may ask" he let out a barely audible laugh before saying "I guess what everyone hopes for.. True love and a happy ending". He held such high hopes for the future, hope that his dreams would one day become true, a kind of hope that the woman had lost long before. Regina was glad she had her back turned to him so he couldn't see the sadness in her expression "I used to hope for that too, a long time ago.. I guess after a while you just realize that happy endings don't exist and that life is unfair, that everything that you hold dear will be taken from you, sooner or later.. And when you realize that, the only thing left is pain.." her voice broke as she shed a single tear. David didn't know how to reply to her statement. Was she broken beyond repair? He refused to believe that. All he wanted to do was to comfort her so he remained silent and tightened his grip on her before whispering to her "Don't worry, Lana.. I won't let anything or anyone hurt you again"

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**_That night, at the castle_**

"Goodbye, father" Snow White said as she placed a red rose on the black marble coffin as tears ran down her cheeks. She turned around and exited the room, headed for her father's bechamber. She was sad, but grieving was being replaced by much stronger feelings, like anger, which built inside her as she tore her stepmother's dresses with her bare hands, like the hate she felt for the woman who had taken her father from her before she fled and revenge. She wanted nothing more than to see Regina pay for what she had done.

"Guards!" She yelled and two men entered the bedchamber "Yes, your majesty?" she had a look on her face they had never seen before and which almost scared them "I want you to find the Queen. Arrange for the other guards to join you, I want you to search the whole kingdom, I want you to find her and bring her to me, alive!" the guards took a step back, seeing a look in her eyes that scared the hell out of them. They could tell she was bloodthirsty but, even under the circumstances, the never had expected the usually kind and generous Princess to hold such hatred and anger towards another human being. They nodded and left the room, leaving Snow white alone. She looked outside of the window and, though there was no one listening she started whispering "I don't care where you are, regina. I will find you and I promise I will destroy you, if it is the last thing I do!"


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N:_**Hay guys, long time no update (sorry about that). still don't know how I feel about this chapter so review to let me know what you think! Enjoy :)

**_Disclaimer:_**I don't own Once Upon a Time or its characters, just this story.

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**_Chapter 6_**

**_Two weeks later _**

As the days went by, Regina's injury healed almost completely. She no longer had to wear a bandage and had started walking on her own, though David was always by her side to catch her if she fell.

One morning she was awakened by the sun rays that filtered through the window glass. She stirred and for the first time in a long time she started the day with an absolutely spontaneous smile. In the past couple of weeks Regina had bonded with David and his mother a lot, which actually had her wondering how she could have been so lucky to meet them. The two had shown her nothing but love over the short period of time they had spent together and Regina herself was starting to open herself to them a little bit more each day. Of course she had to be careful not to spill any information that could lead them to realize she was the Queen, but she had started opening up about her problems. She told David more about her childhood, about Daniel and about her marriage. It was painful to talk about her past, especially about the nights when her husband would hit her and abuse her with no mercy, but David was supporting and never pushed her to talk about anything if she wasn't ready to. For once in her life, after Daniel, she had a real friend, someone who listened to her and loved her unconditionally, no matter what.

She got off the bed and after changing her clothes she left the room. "He's outside, dear" Ruth said with a wide smile, noticing that Regina was looking for David and giving the younger woman a fright, for she hadn't noticed that the woman was on the armchair, knitting. Regina half-sprinted towards the front door, trying to hide as much as she could her longing to see the man.

Regina was aware of the fact that sooner or later she would have had to leave them, for it was inevitable for her to be found by King Leopold. She knew if she gave into him completely she would just end up hurting both of them and considering the emotional wreck she was at the moment she couldn't afford to get her heart broken all over again. Still, looking at him made her heart flutter and for once she chose to be happy, even if she knew that happiness was bound to end.

Once she was past the threshold and had closed the door carefully behind her, Regina took silent steps towards David, who stood by the fence, leaning onto it with his elbows and looking at the open field before him, completely oblivious to the woman's presence.

When she was right behind him, Regina stood on her toes to make herself a little higher and placed her hands gently over his eyes. She could feel him smiling and he was sure she was giggling quietly before she spoke "okay, I realize it's not so funny when you're not surrounded by a crowd of people". The sound of her voice had him smiling even more. She let go of his face just as he turned to face her "Goodmorning, Lana. How are you feeling today?" that had become sort of a routine question, though it was she never got tired of. She wasn't used to people caring for her that much and all that attention from him was increasing her own self-confidence already. "I'm feeling great! It's a beautiful day, don't you think?" she asked him while her eyes took in every detail of their surroundings "Yes, it is" he said as he kept staring at the beautiful woman that was standing in front of him. It was impossible for him to look anywhere else, especially when the sun lit her face making her brown eyes look almost golden. Regina took David's hand and dragged him in the open field. She started running and David ran by her side, afraid she was gonna fall at any moment "Lana, slow down! You know your ankle hasn't healed completely yet". She stopped and gave him the cutest puppy eyes ever as she walked up to him and whispered "Come on, don't be a bore!" her pout turning into a beautiful smile. Regina took his hands in hers and started walking backwards, trying to get him to follow her. Just as she did so, she felt a sharp pain in her hurt ankle but David immediately caught her. However, he used too much strength to keep her from falling backwards and, as a result, they both fell onto the soft grass, laughing till they had no more air in their lungs.

"Are you alright?" he asked quite concerned, though he was still smiling at the woman that lay on top of him. "Yeah, sorry for dragging you down with me" she said with a smile as she blushed slightly. Their eyes locked until Regina's eyes started wandering all over his face before locking onto his mouth. David had stopped laughing, though he still smiled at Regina, amazed by the woman's beauty. He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear just as she gathered enough courage to bend down and kiss him. The kiss was soft and shy at first, as David respected her and gave her the time she needed to process the situation, then Regina started gaining more confidence, for she knew the man was not going to hurt her as Leopold had done so many times, which made the kiss grow more passionate. Regina's hands were entangled in David's hair just as his embraced her waist to keep her close to him. They were so caught up in each other that they didn't even notice David's mother was looking at them from the threshold.

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**_A couple of hours later, at the village_**

After seeing the intimate moment between the two, Ruth decided to give them a little privacy. Besides, she had made a mental note earlier to go to the village herself that day so David and Regina could spend some time together. So she went to the village, where she stopped to talk with a couple of friends of hers, but they were interrupted by the arrival of royal guards in the square. The villagers started gathering around them so they could all hear the dramatic piece of news that no one was quite expecting. The king was dead.

They didn't say much about it, though, and everybody knew he was not old enough to die a natural death, which left them to wonder what could've possibly happened. Rumors started spreading quickly, some said King Leopold had been stabbed, some that he was alive but being kept prisoner with his daughter. Ruth paid attention to none of them, for experience had taught her not to, and after hearing about the tragedy left the square to continue her shopping. When she stopped by the bakery she found two guards inside the shop. They had their back turned to her and were asking the owner something she couldn't make out, while they held a piece of paper in front of him. When the baker shook his head to say he knew nothing about it, the guards turned in order to leave the shop. However, when they saw Ruth, they stopped on their tracks to ask her what she figured must be the same thing they had asked the man "Ma'am, have you seen this woman recently?" one of the men said as he held up the piece of paper so she could look at it. Ruth felt the blood freeze in her veins. Her heart nearly stopped when she looked at the drawing of the woman's face below the word 'WANTED'. Her eyes widened a little. It was clearly Lana, but why were they looking for her? She decided not to say anything to the men and to try and find out exactly why they were looking for her instead.

"Uh..no. No, I don't think so.." she said quietly, but her voice gave away more than she intended to "Who is she? Why are you looking for her?". The guards exchanged a look of agreement before the second man spoke "she's wanted for the murder of King Leopold". The woman was speechless but managed to say "Well, I hope you find her soon" before the guards left the shop. How could the woman she and her son had been protecting be a murderer? And the murderer of the king nonetheless! She certainly didn't look like one. She was just a scared and helpless woman, they surely must've gotten the drawing wrong. Or maybe there was simply another woman looking a lot like her. Ruth kept thinking about that on her way home, the thought still haunting her.

Ruth arrived at the house by the evening, to find her son and the woman sitting on the bench outside, looking at the sunset, as David kept his arms around the woman whose head rested peacefully against his shoulder.

David caught sight of her and turned his to give her a smile "Mother! How was the market?" she was hesitant to reply "It was... Interesting.. Well, you know, quite the usual actually. The prices are constantly rising." he laughed a little, being used to his mother cursing the prices every time she went to the village "I'll go make some supper". David turned just in time to look at the last bit of sun as it disappeared behind the hills before placing a tender kiss on Regina's forehead.

After Regina had gone to bed, Ruth asked David to help her clean the dishes but he knew it wasn't the only thing she needed from him. "Mother, you've been jumpy all evening, what's the matter?" he asked. The woman turned to face him before she started speaking "When I went to the village today there were guards, from the palace. They said King Leopold was dead.." David still saw no reason for that to freak his mother out that much "Well, I'm sorry about it but, still, why are you so-" but Ruth cut him off, raising her voice even if she didn't want to "I think it was Lana!".

Silence. David didn't know what to say and couldn't even bring himself to speak, so his mother tried to explain to him why she had that suspicion "The guards showed me a wanted poster and I.. I think it was her... She's wanted for the murder of the king David!" fear clearly showing now at the thought that they were unknowingly hiding a murderer. The woman and her son heard a noise and turned their heads to find Regina standing on the bedroom doorway, tears pooling in her eyes as she brought a hand up to cover her mouth, while the other was used to hold onto the door frame. She knew sometimes soon she would've had to reveal her identity to them but this was surely not how she thought it would've happened.

The first one to talk was David, whose voice came out in a low whisper, as he walked slowly towards her "Lana, please tell me it wasn't you.. It couldn't have been you, right? Please say something.." he was met with more silence as a silent tear ran down her cheek. Then she started talking slowly, choosing her words carefully, not wanting to hurt him more than she had already done, if that was even possible "My name is not Lana..". "What?" he whispered, astonished by the confession. He didn't want to believe her, but if it was true then maybe his mother was right. Maybe she had killed the king. "My name is Regina.. I'm-" "the Queen" he cut her off abruptly "So was it all a lie? Your escape from a marriage with a man who hurt you.." his voice was rising as anger and a feeling of betrayal took over him. Regina stepped closer to him "No, David, it was all true! He didn't love me, he hit me, he hurt me but I swear, David, I swear I didn't kill him!" she said frantically as her voice broke and she started sobbing, her hands clutching his shirt as she begged the man to believe her. He wanted to believe her, after all he had seen the bruises on her body and she surely hadn't caused them on her own, that should've been enough of a proof to him but he just didn't know what to think.

However, Regina didn't get the chance to explain the whole story to him, for in that moment four guards barged into the house. Ruth had been so lost in thought on her way back to the house that she hadn't noticed the guards had followed her, then they had apparently returned to the castle to seek reinforcements. They were taken aback by their arrival, Regina still shocked by the fact that King Leopold was dead and David by the discovery that the woman he had grown to love was not who she claimed she was. Still, he knew she was good and couldn't have been capable of killing a man, so he tried to keep the guards from taking her but with no success. "No, no, no! David, please, don't let them take me, I didn't do it, please you have to believe me!" she begged as tears ran uncontrollably down her cheeks. Her screams were heart-wrecking but they gave him enough strength to fight the guards as much as he could to reach her. Eventually, though, a guard hit him so hard that David hit the wall with his head before falling to the floor, unable to move. The only think he could hear were her cries as she begged the guards not to hurt him, then everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N:_** I can't even begin to say how sorry I am for not being able to update sooner :( I started university and got super busy, plus I got my first writer's block, which was awful by the way. luckily, I figured out how to end the fanfiction already so writing the next chapter (which MIGHT be the last) shouldn't take long.

Ok, I'm done boring you with this stuff, enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think about it :)

P.s. I know David is meant to be poor and everything but let's just pretend he has a horse, otherwise he would've had to pull it out of the hat ;) enjoy

**_Disclaimer: _**I don't own Once Upon a Time or its characters, just this story.

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David woke up hours later and found himself in his bedroom. His mother was sitting on an armchair next to the bed and when David tried to get into a sitting position she pushed him gently back down. He realized his head hurt a lot but his only concern now was Regina. He turned to his mother and asked her "Where did they take her?". Ruth knew her son wanted to find the woman and couldn't bear to see him hurt, both pysically and emotionally, and she wanted to protect him as much as she could "David.." she started speaking gently, holding his hand in hers "I know you liked her very much, dear, but you have to face the truth, she's not who we thought she was..." David interrupted her "Mother I believe her! I know her and she wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone kill a man! I gotta find her, I can't let them hurt her, I promised Regina she would be safe with me, that I would protect her..." he started saying frantically as he got up from the bed slowly. Ruth followed him, unsure whether or not he was aware of what awaited Regina, dwelling on whether or not to tell him, for it would certainly break his heart. "...David" she whispered, but her son was still mumbling about going after the woman to protect her, so she took a deep breath and raised her voice, maybe a little more than she intended to "David they're going to execute her!". A deafening silence fell over the room as David stopped in his tracks, leaning against the door frame as he slightly turned his head "what did you just say?". Ruth walked up to him, tears pooling her eyes as she cupped her son's face with her hands and looked into his watery, tired eyes, sharing his pain, wanting nothing more than to take it all away "She killed the king, or at least they think so.. It's treason and murder, that means.." "they're going to execute her..." David finished the sentence in a barely audible whisper as reality hit him. Regina's life was in danger and there was basically nothing he could do to save her now. "I have to talk to her, I have to let her know that I believe her.. I have to tell her I love her.." he whispered and his voice broke when he realised he hadn't told her he had fallen in love with her. David saddled his horse, waved his mother goodbye and left, headed to the castle.

After a couple of hours David reached the village. He wasn't planning on stopping until he reached the castle but the villagers talking in the square caught his attention, as they heard some of them talking about the queen. He pulled the reins to stop the horse in order to speak to a woman "Excuse me, ma'am, could you tell what the commotion's all about? I heard you talking about the queen, right?" the woman got closer to David and started telling him what she knew "The queen's been sentenced to death! She killed the king and almost got away with it, but they found her and now she's going to pay for killing such a kind man". If only the woman knew what he knew maybe she, like all the other people in the kingdom, wouldn't be so fond of King Leopold. David had no time to defend Regina's honor, though, so he simply asked "And when is she going to be.. executed?" the bitter words struggling to leave his mouth "In two days". That was enough information for him, one which he didn't even have the time to process as he hit the horse's sides with his boots, trying to get the horse to ride as fast as he possibly could, longing to see the woman he loved.

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**_The next day_**

David reached the castle at twilight. Careful not to be seen he left the horse in one of the stables' boxes and approached the castle's entrance, which was guarded by two sentries.

"Who are you?" one of the guards asked as he got closer "I'm one of the new servants". It wasn't that hard to believe, given the clothes he was wearing, so the other guard led him inside the palace. He escorted him to the kitchen and luckily there was no one there, so the minute the sentry left, David did as well, running throught the hallways, looking for the dungeons where Regina was surely kept.

After what felt like an eternity of running through the hallways in the frantic search of Regina, hiding whenever he heard the sound of footsteps. At some point he noticed a series of empty cells on both sides of a corridor, then stopped in his tracks because he heard some voices speaking indistinctly. He hid behind a column where it was dark enough for him not to be seen, if someone eventually walked in his direction.

David tried to eavesdrop but he couldn't quite make out what was being said at the end of the hallway, though one thing he did understand: there were two women talking.

Regina had been locked in the largest cell, which had the thickest bars, one she couln't easily escape from. There were no guards,though, she was utterly alone. Not a single soul had showed up, not even Snow White, though Regina was sure at some point she would. It was a confrontation she feared, especially since Snow thought she was responsible for her father's death. But at least she was sort of prepared for it, unlike the one she was about to face. She was feeling weak after crying through the whole night and following day, and the lack of sleep was starting to hit her. She was lying in the dark, with her back against the bars, thinking about David and how badly she wanted to see him, at least to say goodbye, something she wasn't given the chance to do with Daniel. The lack of energy didn't prevent her from wincing when she heard her mother's voice right behind her. She turned just in time to see Cora magically lighting the torches hung upon the walls, so both women were now hit by a dim light.

"I think we've got something to discuss, dear.." Cora said in an apparently calm tone that made Regina shiver, for it was the same tone she had heard so many times in her life, right before her mother punished her. Regina was somehow thankful that there were bars keeping her from her mother's reach and she figured there was a spell around the cell as well, otherwise her mother would've entered it imediately.

"Mother, what are you doing here!?" she asked the older woman as she stood, taking a few steps back in the process.

"My daughter's been sentenced to death, why would I _ever_ be here? Sometimes you're so naïve, dear. I'm here to get you out" Her mother stated simply, as if it was the most logical thing on Earth.

As Regina stared at her mother she started realizing what had actually happened. "It was you, wasn't it? You killed the King.." she whispered but her voice suddenly broke into a desperate cry when her mother's silence confirmed her theory.

"Why did you do it, mother?" She shouted at Cora, tears wetting her cheeks as she stepped towards her mother, grabbing the bars hoping to release some of her anger.

"Because I wanted you to be powerful! You would've been queen, for heaven's sake! Surely I couldn't imagine you would be running away that very night, now could I?" Regina couldn't stop crying and even from a distance David could hear the heartbreaking sound that escaped her fragile body. "Regina, dear, I'm going to get you out of here, I promise. And then you will be qu-" but she was interrupted abruptly by her daughters screams "Mother, I don't want to be queen! I never wanted that, I was happy before, being queen means nothing to me! Why won't you let me alone? You ruined my life! I hate you.. I HATE YOU!" Under other circumstances Cora would've laughed bitterly at her for not knowing what was best for herself but Regina's last words hit her harder than she would've expected. She heard a noise coming from the hallway so she whispered to her daughter "Someone's coming.. Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of here and then we're going to get back to normal. I'm going to take care of Snow White". Regina's eyes shot open at the thought of her mother killing Snow and tried to protest but her mother was gone before she could even open her mouth.

After a couple of moments, Regina saw a hooded figure making its way towards the cell and retracted further into her cell until she realised it was David. He removed the hood to show his face and smiled at Regina, as both got close to the bars. "David! How did you get here? I was so worried about you.. Did they hurt you? I-" David silenced her as he cupped her cheeks gently with his hands and caught her lips in a passionate kiss through the bars. He reluctantly pulled away, just enough to look into her deep brown eyes, before he whispered "I believe you.. I know you didn't kill him, you would never hurt anyone" she smiled at him as she whispered "I'm sorry I lied to you but it was the only way I had to protect both of us.. And I'm sorry because I love you and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you but now..." she closed her eyes as more tears escaped. David wiped them away with his thumbs as he placed a soft kiss on her lips before he whispered "I love you, Regina.. with all my heart" she finally opened her eyes to look at him as she turned her head a little to kiss the palm of his hand "... And I promise I'll find a way to get you out of here, then we can get married and live a wonderful life together, that's a promise".

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"Rumplestiltskin!" David screamed the moment he reached the woods surrounding the castle. He looked around expecting The Dark One to have appeared by then. He hadn't, so he screamed his name again before he let himself fall to his knees. He was desperate. Turning to Rumplestiltskin was the last resort, if that failed he couldn't even think of the consequences. He would break his promise to Regina, she would die and he would never be able to forgive himself for that.

"Do you plan on telling me what is it that you called me for, dearie? You know, I haven't got all day." David jumped to his feet and turned to find Rumplestiltskin leaning against a tree right behind him. Wasting no time with ceremonies, David got straight to the point "I need to save Regina! She's going to die if I don't do something and there's nothing I can actually do, but you can get her out, just name your price". Rumplestiltskin started walking in circles around David, "You're right, dearie, I can help you. But it won't be easy." a purple smoke enveloped his hand, then disappeared leaving a blue potion on it. "This particular potion is quite rare. In fact, it acts like a portal. All you need to do, dearie, is pour it on your hands and simply touch Regina with them" he said in his shrill voice. "It's done, then! I can sneak back into the castle and.." He was getting hopeful when Rumplestiltskin interrupted him "Not that easy, dearie. See, the cell they're keeping Regina in is protected by magic, the potion won't work if she is inside the cell. So here comes the tricky part. You'll have to touch her after they get her out of the cell but before.. you know" he said as he mimicked a throat being cut.

David stared at him for a while, horror painted all over his face as his mind raced to the possibility of Regina's death. There wasn't actually much of a choice left, it was his last chance to save the woman he loved and he would need to make it count "Tell me what you want in return". Rumplestiltskin stared at him for some minutes, as if he was trying to decide whether the man standing in front of him was able to do what he was about to ask "What I want is for you to retrieve something for me. Something that's been hidden and protected with magic so I wouldn't be able to take it." David looked at him suspiciously as he asked "What is it?". Rumplestiltskin's wicked grin faded slowly as he avoided looking into David's eyes "A heart". David was taken aback by his answer "Whose heart is it?".

"The heart of the woman I love"


End file.
